Jags WR update: Wilford to the slot

By Krupka  |   Tuesday, July 11, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Jacksonville Jaguars
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The talk of the offseason surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars has been about the wide receiving corps. All-Pro receiver Jimmy Smith, who decided it was time to hang up the pads and cleats, has left many in Jacksonville worrying about who might replace him.

In May, I highlighted the three receivers auditioning for Smith's vacant No. 1 receiver spot. The word around the league at the time was the team lacked a true deep threat that can stretch defenses. I mentioned how each isn't the deep threat Smith was, but highlighted their strong points that offensive coordinator Carl Smith will try to design the offense around.

While the perception may have been that the team wants to devise a plan to win on the arm of quarterback Byron Leftwich, head coach Jack Del Rio has made it clear as day that he was upset last season over what he deemed not enough commitment to the running game. Because of that, Del Rio hired longtime friend Mike Tice as "assistant head coach/offense."

Essentially, it appears that, although the team's offense was statistically better in Carl Smith's first year at the helm, they still struggled to score on a consistent basis. With Tice looking over his shoulder, and Del Rio breathing down his neck, expect the commitment to the running game to be increased. In fact, more running plays have been added to the playbook.

However, the running game is a topic for another day down the line. As far as the receivers go, the 6-4, long-armed Ernest Wilford has been the most impressive in minicamps, but has been bumped to second string.

Many may ask why he would be demoted even though he is playing the best. It comes down to the fact that Wilford isn't fast, and the coaching staff feels his size in the slot would cause plenty of mismatches they could exploit.

Now that Wilford is in the slot, the battle for Smith's replacement will play out over the summer months. The Jacksonville Jaguars' youngsters, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones, are vying hard to win the job.

Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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